The present invention relates to a restraint system for vehicle.
A Published Japanese Patent Application Kokai No. 06(1994)-286541 discloses a vehicle seat belt system including first and second pretensioners, an ultrasonic sensor, a G sensor and a controller.
However, this seat belt system merely takes up a slack when a frontal collision is predicted, and leaves a rear end collision out of consideration.
It is an object to the present invention to provide a restraint system, or a vehicle equipped with a restraint system, or a control process for a restraint system which can restrain a seat occupant effectively in case of a rear end collision.
According to the present invention, a vehicle comprises: a seat comprising a seat cushion and a seat back; a headrest mounted on an upper portion of the seat back; a restrain system, such as a seat belt system, to secure a seat occupant on the seat so as to restrain the head of the seat occupant toward the headrest and straighten the spine of the seat occupant; a rear end collision sensor to detect a possibility of a rear end collision of the vehicle in advance; and a controller to drive the restrain system in response to detection of the possibility of a rear end collision.
A seat occupant restraint apparatus according to another aspect of the present invention, comprises: means for detecting a possibility of a rear end collision of a vehicle in advance; and means for tightening a seat occupant restraining or restrain system to restrain the head of a seat occupant toward a headrest of a seat and to straighten the spine of the seat occupant when the possibility of a rear end collision is detected.
A seat occupant restraint control process according to the present invention comprises: detecting a possibility of a rear end collision of a vehicle in advance; and driving a seat occupant restraining or restrain system to restrain the head of a seat occupant toward a headrest of a seat and to straighten the spine of the seat occupant when the possibility of a rear end collision is detected.